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Weekly News from the President- ACM Files Comments with FCC

Posted onMarch 9, 2015

The Alliance for Community Media filed comments this past week with the FCC as the Commission considers how to regulate Over the Top (OTT) video services that provide linear (or scheduled) video. We think – and our members have told us – that the issue of how OTT evolves and grows in the U. S. will have an immense impact on the future of local media – and PEG operations across the country.

The FCC is trying to find ways to encourage competition with the cable industry – which we think is a great idea as long as it doesn’t mean getting rid of benefits and fair compensation to communities. In concrete terms, we don’t want a system that encourages cable to not pay for use of public property like Rights-Of-Way or to drive more and more of its services to broadband delivery to try to escape their community obligations. And we need to find a way to have local media delivered on as many competitors as possible.

We need a system that encourages MORE local programming for viewers, not less!

We’ll be filing reply comments to the Commission next week in response to industry. I’d like to get support letters from our members before March 18, and we will provide a template for you in the next day or so. Please let me know if you can help the effort by filing a support letter for the filing.

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I’d like to send a big Thank You to all our members making in-district Congressional visits this week! If you haven’t done so by now, we’d like you to set up meetings with your delegation for the recess between March 30 and April 10. We’ll provide support if you’re a little nervous about how to set this up or what to say at the meeting. What’s important is Congress hears from PEG operations around the country! Let me know if you’re interested is setting up a meeting by emailing me at mwasssenaar@allcommunitymedia.org or calling 612-298-3805.